The election observers had concluded the elections had been "marred by a high level of politically motivated violence", and "the conditions in Zimbabwe did not adequately allow for a free expression of will by the electors", Howard said, adding the troika accepted the findings.

The suspension bars the southern African country from all Commonwealth meetings. Howard said, however, the committee would seek to promote reconciliation in Zimbabwe between the main political parties. He also said he would like to see free and fair elections held as soon as possible.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the suspension. He had telephone Mbeki twice during the troika's meeting in London on Tuesday. "He clearly welcomes the decision by the Commonwealth troika and believes that it is absolutely the right thing to do," Blair's official spokesman said.

The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe that target Mugabe and the political leaders around him. They have also refused to acknowledge the results of the March 9-11 elections that confirmed the 78-year-old leader's 22-year grip on power for a further six years. Howard said Australia would not implement any sanctions in the near term, "bearing in mind that sanctions do damage to people at the bottom at the bottom of the economic scale". He added that sanctions were a matter for individual countries.

In the election Mugabe was declared the winner of with 56 per cent of votes to 42 per cent gained by the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai.

On Monday Mbeki and Obasanjo met both Mugabe and Tsvangirai in Harare to push for a national reconciliation as a way out of the impasse, and Howard said the troika of leaders wanted efforts to promote reconciliation to continue. But Tsvangirai has indicated he wants fresh elections, and Mugabe showed no sign of making concessions in his inauguration speech on Sunday. Tsvangirai has denied that Obasanjo and Mbeki had pushed for a government of national unity in their talks with him.

The suspension was unexpected. Many observers expected the troika to fudge the issue, with Mbeki and Obasanjo reportedly reluctant to isolate Mugabe. Mbeki in particular fears the effects of conflict in the region that could see refugees pouring across the South African border. But the prospect of dividing the Commonwealth on racial lines, with the "white" members like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, along with Britain, in favour of harsh measures and African members for reconciliation may have swung the balance.